Improvement in attachments for sewing-machines



'JNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB S. ALTER, OF LEAVENWORTI-I, KANSAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,716, dated August8, 1871.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J A0013 S. ALTER, of Leavenworth, in the county ofLeavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented a new and ImprovedCombination Sewing-Machine Attachment 5 and I do hereby declare that thefollowingI is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this speciication.

My invention consists in an improvement upon the gauging and plaitingattachment patented to me May 3, 1870, and will be first hereinafterfully described in connection with all that is necessary to its fullunderstanding and then clearly pointed out in the claim.

Figure lis aplan view of the gauge and plaiter with the extension of thegauge-plate. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line w.x, showin g the adjustment of the goods when used as a cloth-guide andfor sewing without basting the goods. Fig. 3 is a similar section,showing the adjustment of the goods for making threeply tucks. Fig. 4 isa similar section, showing the adjustment of the goods in making widehenis. Fig. 5 is a plan view, showing the adjustment of the goods formaking the three-ply tucks, shown in section, Fig. 3. Fig. Gis a planview, showing the adjustment for making two-ply tucks. Fig.

` 7 is a plan view, showing the application of a binder to the gauge andplaiter. Fig. .8 is a front elevation of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a section ofFig. 7 on the line y y. Fig. 10 is a plan view of the gauge and plaiter,showing the attachment of a ruflier to it 5 and Fig. ll is a frontelevation of Fig. l0.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts.

Ihe plate A, with slot B, cloth-guide G, studs E, and the screw F, andalso the plate Gwith slot H, scale I, and the grooves J, are the same asrepresented in the aforesaid patent granted to me, and thus arrangedafford an excellent attachment for guiding the goods to be stitchedtogcther, plaited, or tucked, and for many other kinds of work; but, foruse onsome machines, and for many kinds of work, I found the saidattachment to be greatly improved by the application of the extension Kof the plate A beyond the cloth-guide C, under and beyond the projectingpart of the plate G, said extension forming a continuous surface levelwith that of plate A l as far as the plate G is to extend, or beyond,over which surface the cloth to be sewed passes and is held up to theplate G so as to be much more subject to its action and that of theoblique guiding-ribs on the lower surface than it can be when lying onthe table or plate of the machine, and in some machines the tables areso arranged that the plate G cannot be brought to the cloth at all. Insuch cases the attachment is useless without the said extension, butwith it it is not only serviceable in such machines, but is made betterfor all others, and is highly useful for stitching shirtbosoms, makingtwo-ply and three-ply tucks, boxplaiting, hemming, and preparing seamsfor felling; it is also very serviceable in stitching goods togetherwithout basting.

The sectional Fig. 2 represents the manner of using the instrument forsewing' without bastin g.

lhe lines a represent the two plies of cloth which are kept snuglyagainst the guide C by the ribs b on the under side of the plate G. Theaction of these ribs may be varied bythe temper-screw F and nut thereon,and the spring I to keep the edges of the cloth more or less snuglyagainst the guide C, as may be preferred. The sectional Fig. 3 and theplan Fig. 4 represent the manner of using the instrument for makingthree-ply tucks, for which it possesses the highest merit. In this casethe plateAis adjusted as close to the presser and needle as it can be,for which the notch J is provided t0 let the presser enter in order thatthe seam may be as close to the fold d as possible. The plate G is thenadjusted as far beyond the guide C as the width ofthe tuck is to be andthe folded cloth is applied with the fold d against guide C; then theupper piece is folded back over the end of plate G, as shown at e, andstretched down to the fold d, as indicated by the line f. In this casethe pressure of the oblique ribs b keeps the fold d against the guide Cwith great accu-l racy, and the end 'of plate G guides or regulates thefold e of the upper ply of the cloth. The plan view, Fig. 6, representsthe manner of using the instrument for making the ordinary two-plytucks. The guide C is placed as far away from the needle as the requiredwidth of the tucks g, and the end of plate G is adjusted as far beyondthe needle as the required width of the spaces h between the tucks, andits end acts as a guide upon the cloth inside the seam of the last tuckformed, as shown at i, while the fold of the tuck being formed runsalong the cloth-guide C.

The manner of making wide hems is indicated in the sectional view, Fig.4. The edge of the cloth is turned over and placed against the guide C,as at 7c,- the plate G is projected as far as the required width of thehem and the cloth folded back over it at Z and stitched down upon theedge n the same manner as in making three-ply tucks.

Besides these, and other operations which may be performed by thisimproved attachment, it is made serviceable for binding and ruffiing bythe application to it of certain other attachments, which I will nowproceed to explain.

For binding, a plate, M, with a hook-shaped end, N, turned upward, issupported in front of the platesA and G, with the hooked end a little inadvance (to the left) of the guide C and its upper surface on the levelof the upper surface of the plate Afand its extension K being thussupported by a plate, O, to the under side of which it is confined byhooks or lugs P on it, so shaped as to embrace the edges of said plateand hold it so that it can be adjusted forward or backward parallel withthe fronts of plates A and G,

and be held in any position by the friction ofthe parts or by a clamp orbinding-screw. The plate O is secured to the plates A and G by beinginserted between them and between the lugs E, at the front of plate A,passing beyond the clampscrew F, for which it has a long slot,Q,provided in the part entering between said plates, between which it isbound by the said screw and its nut. This binding attachment being soapplied, the lower part of the folded binding is placed under the hookN, as shown at oni/,while the edge of the cloth is placed above the hookand the upper part of binding over said edge.

Thus arranged,the work can be done in the most satisfactory manner,requiring but verylittle attention of the operator in adjusting thebinding on the edge of the cloth in advance of the instrument, whichinsures the exact adjustment of the binding by reason of the naturaltendency of the feed to cause the lower part to work under the cloth anddraw oif from the upper side, being counteracted by the bottom of thehook acting on the edge of the binding, keeping it in the positionrequired.

This mode of attaching the binder is applicable for attaching rufiiingor other instruments also, and by it I may utilize the plates A and Gfor use in connection with various other instruments.

Figs. 10 and 11 show a ruiiling attachment, composed of the plates o andpand bindingscrew q, attached in the same way. Fig. 1l also shows themanner of adjusting the cloth for rufling.

For sewing-machines, in which the work has the side movement instead ofthe front, for which the attachments here shown are adapted, the saidattachments will be arranged reversely.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- The plate M having upward hook N, and the plate Ohaving lugs P, combined with and applied to plates A, K, E, and G, asand for the purpose specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 30th day ofMay, 1871.

Witnesses: JACOB S. ALTER.

Gno. W. MABEE, T. B. Mosnnn.

